Republicans attack each other in campaign to fill vacant state Senate seat

The race to fill a vacant Riverside County state Senate seat in a special election April 13 has pitted two like-minded Republicans against each other in an attack campaign that virtually ignores the five other candidates.

Assemblyman Bill Emmerson and businessman and former Assemblyman Russ Bogh are the perceived front-runners in the contest to replace Republican John Benoit, who resigned last year when the governor appointed him to the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.

“It’s a family feud,” said Allan Hoffenblum, publisher of the nonpartisan California Target Book, which tracks legislative races in the state.

“This is a very typical special election,” added Hoffenblum, a former Republican strategist. “You have two candidates who agree on 99% [of issues], and all you can do is turn it into a personality contest.”

The fireworks started early in the race, when a Bogh ally filed suit to keep Emmerson off the ballot, alleging the assemblyman had not moved into the district but instead continued to live in Redlands, in San Bernardino County. A judge ruled in favor of Emmerson, but the tone of the race had been set.

Bogh, 40, and Emmerson, 64, have far outpaced other candidates in fundraising and have been further bolstered by spending by groups outside the campaigns. In Emmerson’s case, an outside group has also spent money to oppose him.

By late February, the most recent campaign reporting date, Emmerson had raised more than $210,000 for the special election.

Additionally, two groups outside the campaign -- the California Dental Assn. and a coalition called Putting Riverside First, Bill Emmerson for Senate 2010 (funded by the dental organization and real estate interests) -- have so far spent some $450,000 to support his candidacy. Emmerson ran a dental practice before his 2004 election to the Assembly.

Bogh reported raising $175,000 for the special election campaign. Additionally, a group originally formed to campaign for a part-time Legislature, Citizens for California Reform, has so far spent $47,281 to advocate for Bogh’s election and $79,791 to oppose Emmerson.

Democrat Justin Blake, 56, an actor and Palm Springs school board member who is endorsed by the California Democratic Party, raised the next-highest amount of any candidate -- almost $17,000 by late February.

The others have not raised significant amounts and are depending on public forums and websites to reach voters.

One other Republican is on the ballot in this GOP-leaning 37th state Senate District. He is David W. Peters, 43, a teacher elected to the Hemet Unified School District board in 2004, serving one term.

He ran against Benoit and Bogh in 2008 for the same Senate seat.

Two other Democrats are running, including educator and businessman Arthur Bravo Guerrero, 48, of Beaumont. Guerrero ran for the seat in 2008 against Benoit and won 45% of the vote, when President Obama carried the district.

The other Democrat is Anna Nevenic, 62, a registered nurse and author of Palm Springs.

Also on the ballot is college counselor and Desert Sands school board member Matt Monica, 65, of the American Independent Party.

Because this is a special election, voters will choose among all seven candidates regardless of party affiliation. If nobody wins a majority April 13, the top finisher in each party will meet in a runoff June 8, the same day as the regular statewide primary.

The district cuts a wide swath across more than half of Riverside County, from the Orange County boundary to the Arizona state line, and encompasses several cities, including Banning, Beaumont, Corona, Desert Hot Springs, Moreno Valley, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage.

Republicans hold a small edge in registration over Democrats, outnumbering them 41.2% to 37.5%. Voters unaffiliated with a party account for 17%.

Hoffenblum said those numbers could help make the district an appealing target for Democrats if they feel they have a strong candidate going into a possible runoff.

“It’s not a safe Republican seat, but the Democrats for some reason don’t seem to be involved” in terms of putting resources into the campaign, Hoffenblum said. “They may be waiting to see what happens in the primary.”

jean.merl@latimes.com